by Michael Hartwig (Author)
Inspired by true events, "Don't Push Me" is an intergenerational saga of gay romance and the shame that cripples it. On a ski vacation in the Alps, Elliott discovers that the owners of the inn where he is staying are the descendants of a physician who took care of his grandfather, a prisoner during World War One. Elliott falls under the spell of Max, who, like his great grandfather, is haunted by an intractable sense of sexual shame. Characters grapple with an existential question - whether their sexual desires are a madness corrupting the soul or a gift of the gods, nudging them toward authenticity. The narrative goes back and forth between World War One, the 1960s, and 2007, underscoring the historical context of sexual identity and expression. The story explores the parallel worlds we inhabit and the people that invite us to cross borders. Echoing ancient poets and philosophers, the book celebrates the enchantment of the Jungfrau region of Switzerland, a place where spirits hide in the upper reaches of glacier-studded peaks and inspire mortals to grow wings and soar.